Texans: Reasons I like Brock Osweiler

Over the years, I’ve read literally thousands of opinions from fans on this blog. I’ve read pros and cons and rants and raves and praises over every game, signing, cut, draft pick, the list goes on. I’ve heard it all, the good and the bad, and shared my share of opinions.

The signing of former Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler, is a great move by the Texans, in my humble opinion of course.

Fans for years have ridiculed the Texans for never putting an emphasis on acquiring a “franchise” quarterback. For never drafting one high, for always settling for journeymen, career back-up types that we could get on the cheap and that we hoped could do an average job. And in the hope that the rest of our stars could carry the team.

It’s no secret that the majority of the Super Bowl winners, and losers, all have very good, high quality, franchise type quarterbacks.

As I read over the comment boards and Facebook posts, I’m reading a lot of nay-saying and negativity about this signing. This really baffles me. Some folks are saying we paid too much, that he’s garbage, he’s just another back-up quarterback (oh no here we go again), that Denver dumped him for a reason, blah, blah, blah. And in time, many of those opinions could very well be proven correct.

During a game last season while watching Osweiler lead the Broncos to the playoffs, I was so impressed by his poise and play that I looked up his contract status and saw that he would be an unrestricted free agent after the season. I told my buddy Charles that he would be an UFA and we needed to get him. We both laughed because we both knew there was no way Denver would ever let this kid out of their sight.

Denver was grooming Osweiler to take over the team once Peyton Manning retired. The plan had been for him to take over in 2015, but Manning chose to play another year. Osweiler was to be Denver’s Steve Young. Or Aaron Rodgers. He was going to be their franchise quarterback.

Okay, I hear some of you laughing at that last bit there, so let me explain.

Brock Osweiler straight up out-played Peyton Manning last season. There’s absolutely zero doubt. Check the stats. Osweiler who don’t forget was a back-up quarterback inserted over a former superbowl and league MVP, played in 8.5 games and finished the season with a pretty respectable 86.4 QB rating. He had 10 TD’s and only 6 INT’s, a 61.8% completion rate and 1,967 total yards. Peyton on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. He played in 9.5 regular season games and his regular season totals were less impressive. He finished with a 67.9 rating, 9 TD’s, a whopping 17 INT’s, a 59.8 completion percentage and 2,249 total yards.

Yes, Osweiler was benched in the final game of the season for poor play. Some people keep pointing that out, but hey, didn’t Manning get benched during a game for poor play as well? At least Osweiler was benched in favor of a future Hall of Famer. Peyton was benched for a backup. And it’s no secret the Denver organization was giving Peyton a chance to go out on top.

Then, Denver tried to keep Osweiler. They offered him almost as much as the Texans. When he declined, they upped their ante to $16 million a season, and put themselves at their cap limit. The Texans had to go big or go home. They had to lure the future of the defending world champions (albeit a slightly disgruntled one) away to a team that has never gotten to the conference finals. So yes, maybe they overpaid a tad, but after years of being called cheap and fans claiming that Bob McNair won’t spend the money needed to build a winner, now fans complain the Texans spent too much?

Lastly, I ask the question I’ve asked several others that have voiced their disdain with this signing: Who is the quarterback you feel the Texans should have starting on opening day next season to lead the team to SB51? Colin Kaepernick? Robert Griffin III? Two starting quarterbacks that had their chances to shine as a starter and for whatever reason are now being dumped by losing teams?

Who is your guy?

Most sports sources that I checked had Osweiler listed as the best free agent quarterback available. Every single one of those had Ryan Fitzpatrick as the second best available quarterback. Tell me again who your guy is? Kaepernick is not a free agent. So we’d have to offer up something to get something, be it players or picks. RG3 is not the guy we need either, he’s oft injured and inconsistent. So of all the other free agents, tell me who has the most upside?

Then there’s the rookie draft. So if you don’t have a free agent in mind, who should we draft with the 22nd pick that’ll be the future of the franchise? But wait, you say, we could trade up! And waste draft picks that we desperately need to bolster other areas? If we drafted a quarterback, at best we’re getting the 4th or 5th best QB in the draft, and it’s no secret that this draft class is considered weak at the QB position. Then we have 2-3 years before we can realistically expect a rookie QB to develop, all the while our #3 defense is aging. JJ Watt, De’Andre Hopkins, they’ll all be getting older while we change the new kid’s diapers.

Our team was pretty decent last season with 4 different starting QB’s. Our defense was darn good. We made the playoff’s and didn’t have a solid leader at the QB1 position. We can’t sit around and let this team age and get dismantled over the next few seasons while we teach a rookie QB how to be an NFL player.

Brock Osweiler sat in meetings with Peyton. He watched Peyton prepare. He’s been to two superbowls. He was ready to take over the world champion Denver Broncos. Elway tried to keep him, but couldn’t afford to keep him and Von Miller both. And after proving last season that the Broncos are good enough as a whole to carry the QB position (sound familiar?) since their future HOF’er was having the worst season of his career, they took a gamble on their future and lost.

I’d rather the Texans pay a few million too much than to sit where the Broncos sit right now. I’d rather gamble on a guy John Elway believed could lead the defending champs in the future than a has-been starter that a losing team doesn’t even want. I’d rather have the guy that out-played Peyton Manning than an unproven, untested rookie that was the 4th best in a weak draft. But hey, that’s me.